Marcel Lichka: "We need to maintain such discipline, character, and attitude towards the game"

— I really missed the official matches at our stadium. I am glad that we managed to win, because it is always difficult to get into necessary rhythm after such a long break. It is hard to show good football and score a lot of goals in the first matches. Today we scored twice and could have scored more, however, the opponent also created good chances. I liked the discipline on the pitch and the attitude to the game.

The beginning of the second half was not easy for us, and we had to run after the ball, but the team managed to score. If the third one had been scored, then the game would have been done. Unfortunately, we didn't benefit from our chances, the opponent scored, and the intrigue was resurrected. Loko have good, fast players who created a lot of problems for us, but we still achieved a victory. We need to keep this discipline, character and attitude to the game, as it was today.

— What made you happy and upset at winter training camps?

— It's good that all the players finished training camps without injuries, except for Bessmertnyi who broke his collarbone. In addition, Fedya Smolov got a backache by the end, and he has been working individually lately. Among the disadvantages, I note that when we arrived in Qatar, the experienced players were better prepared than the young ones. I even scolded them. They still do not understand that they had to come to the training camp ready and immediately start working. Then in Turkey, the young footballers have already pleased me – Smelov, Isayev, Tses, Nazarenko, Okishor showed themselves well in friendly matches. We can see these guys from Dynamo-2 in the squad in a year or two, this is a big plus.

— Zeljko Buvac has extended the contract with Dynamo. What are your relations with him?

— This is a very positive moment. He can work quietly and prepare transfers for the summer. He goes everywhere with us, goes to training sessions. We constantly talk to him about football. I am very glad that he has extended the contract with the club.

— Do you agree that this match was one of the best for your team during the season?

— The first half was good, but we could have played better in the second. I think that it was a serious sign to other teams, because we would not be an easy rival for anyone.

— Why did Sergey Parshivlyuk play on the left wing, and not Dmitry Skopintsev?

— Parsh played great in last games that year. In winter, I tried Bessmertnyi on the left wing, but he felt uneasy there. Therefore, I put Parsh on the left so that he would create more competition to Skopintsev. I also tried Marichal in this position, who now, due to Balbuena's suspension, will play as a centre-back in the upcoming match. It is clear that Skopa will always be better in attack, but in terms of discipline and defense, Parsh looks better. Now I have chosen Parsh, but this does not mean that Skopa will not play. We don't have any problems with him. He has to win the competition.

— Jorge Carrascal played the best match since his CSKA spell. Will it be difficult to keep him in this shape?

— I think he is capable of showing such football in every game. As a coach, I will help him, talk to him, train him. I see that football is not his job, it is his love. When you have a talent like Carrascal's and you use it wisely, you can become a big star. I knew right away that I wanted to work with him. I demand from him not only to attack, but also to play in defense, to stay disciplined, and he accepts it. In addition, he often makes decisions that no one expects. When he sees that we can fight for highest places, he will want to move forward himself.

— There are big problems with pitch quality in Moscow right now. What did the pitch look like to you today?

— We need to understand that the pitch in March will not be the same as in England or Spain. But overall it was good. The grass was quite high and the ball sometimes slowed down. In addition, because of the sand, the players' legs got tired faster, and by the 70th minute it was already hard for them to run. But when we played football 20 years ago at this time of the year, it was a dream to play on such a pitch.

— Dynamo are in two points behind Zenit, and four points behind Krasnodar. The team is joining the championship race. Does it put pressure on you?

— I have already said that we are looking up, and I want to strive for big goals. I can't tell you that we will become champions, but I will do everything and look for a way to win. The guys and I want to fight and catch up with the leaders. They drew yesterday, and that's a bonus for us. I didn't watch their matches because I'm more interested in my team's perfomance. We will try to make life difficult for them. In addition, we also have a home match against Zenit and an away match against Krasnodar. It would be nice to go to Krasnodar in the last round and fight for the championship title there.

— Aren't Dynamo playing in a predictable way, using high pressure? Do you have any other style of play?

— When we played against Zenit in the Cup, both teams were not very eager to put pressure on, because they knew that all players know how to play under pressure. Today we had several successful situations with high pressure, but Lokomotiv also have high-quality players, and once they came out very dangerously through Miranchuk. I don't like standing and waiting for the ball, but sometimes you need to be able to rest on the pitch.

— Dynamo created a lot of chances, but scored only two goals. Do you understand that the team needs to work on this aspect in order to fight for the championship title?

— Of course, we could have scored more today. We are trying our best. The players stay after training and work out these situations individually. Everything is achieved only with practice, and here we are doing enough. It happens that goals find their way into the goal, and it happens that no goal is scored in two hours. You have to win matches like today – 1:0 or 2:1. You can't always crush your opponent.